Inside the Fire
by thedarkhasfallen
Summary: Oneshot. Songfic: "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed. If you could join her in eternity, would you? Can you resist the temptation to give it all away? ShadowXMolly. TailsXCosmo. ShadowXMaria if you squint and look at it upside-down...


**Inside the Fire**

**Rated T: Language and Suicidal Themes**

**Sonic the hedgehog and all related characters are property of Sega. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Lyrics are property of Disturbed. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Dedicated to: my Dad (Happy Father's Day!!) and everyone who's ever been tempted to take your place inside the fire...**

**I worked my butt off on this!! Reviews are greatly appreciated!! Thanks.**

**BTW, this is post-Sonic X...**

**Please enjoy!! Remember to review!!**

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Bloodstained and weary, an ebony red-streaked hedgehog padded softly through the forest far from Station Square. Life erupted and bloomed all around him, but he could not think through the grief several souls long gone had left in their places. Every muscle in his body was clogged with lactic acid, every bone threatened to snap at any second, every joint cracked with each new movement. And still, he dragged himself onward towards his destination.

Shadow

_WHAT WAS I THINKING?_ I screamed in my head.

All of my friends, my comrades, my acquaintances probably thought I was dead. Like the last time… The last time I attempted to give up everything and end my miserable existence by doing something noble… ended in failure. Sure, the world was safe and all that crap, but I lost the one possession I truly owned, my memories. Throw that all in later with a three-sided turned two-sided galactic war and some lies from the one person I trusted. Lastly, add in the Molly factor. Yes, the Molly factor. The only one that truly showed any _real_ interest in the being I am, besides Maria.

No, Rouge doesn't count, even if she and I are like brother and sister, she's out for what's best for her.

Anyway, Molly, a freedom fighter on planet Cascade, managed to find that little crack in my shell and tear me wide open, and then found out that her entire crew had betrayed her. Of course, as usual with anyone I care for, she died trying to make something out of her life.

_Blew up right in your face, more like it._

And I wasn't fast enough, in the one moment I needed to be, to save her life. Essentially, she committed suicide by drawing the Metarex's fire upon her. Ended it all with one attempt.

Add that all up and it all boils down to screwing me up… big time…

These thoughts muddled my mind and cluttered my senses even more than they already were. Unaware of any and everything, I stumbled forward and tripped several times on random roots sticking out of the ground. Fighting tears, I was practically blind as I stomped through the foliage. However, I could see enough to take note in a slight change of scenery after around twenty minutes. I stopped walking and let the blood rushing past my ears slow down so I could take in my surroundings more carefully.

The scenery had changed slightly, becoming a touch greener. My ears flicked and I tilted my head towards a faint tinkling sound. After a moment, I realized the sound must be coming from a small stream and that the stream may have been the cause of the greener tinge to the area. I sighed silently and ran over my options. I could continue in the direction I was already headed in, change direction to go towards the stream, or stop here and plead for death to take me. Option three was out, since I had to try. I was up for getting cleaner, so I threw the first option behind me as I changed direction.

When I took a step forward, I didn't notice the bright red plant twined around a nearby dying tree and spread out on the ground, seeking a new soul to feed on. My foot snagged on a vine and I fell forward, catching myself with inches to spare. I slowly turned over to check on what I had tripped over. My eyes fell upon a blood red flower, flecked with streaks of yellow-gold, with five huge petals. I instantly jerked away, finding my foot still ensnared in the dark green vine. Deftly, I ripped the vine where it held the top of my foot and pulled it away.

_That's not a good sign… The Devil's Flourish is too much of a symbol to blatantly ignore. Should I turn back now?_

That was when memories from fifty years ago drilled straight through my skull and reinforced themselves in my brain. Maria had always been fascinated with the flora of planet Earth, so much that the Professor had to keep a continuous flow of books coming to the ARK to satisfy Maria's cravings for knowledge. I remembered one particular day, relatively far from the day I would painfully remember forever, no matter how many times I was bashed over the head, when Maria had just received a new book and she was telling me all about the very plant I was currently glaring at. Maria's face, tainted with the blood of her body and others she had tried to help, slid across my mind's eye. I drew my knees into my chest, slowly and painfully, and rested my chin on one knee, attempting to hold off an onslaught of an emotion I had learned to fear… the hard way.

Tails

I had really screwed up big this time.

I was lost in some forest I had never been to. I had no way to contact Sonic. I was tired from running away from my grief and regrets. It was getting darker by the minute. And I couldn't run from it any longer.

The tears had started long before I stopped fleeing, but now they came full-force as I curled up to wait for the real pain. Sure enough, seconds later, a hole long rent in my chest tore open once more, retching me from my shield of psuedo-happiness that I only held onto with one thread anyway. I writhed on the ground in agony, as memories I wished would burn with the rest of my sanity reached up from the pits of my mind and seized me by the throat. I could feel my trachea closing off, even though no hand squeezed the passage closed, and I could taste the bile in my mouth as my body refused to stomach grief any longer. I gagged and lurched to my knees, placing my hands on the ground for support and bracing myself for the oncoming assault. With a sickening splatter of liquidy-solid matter crashing against soil and stone, I vomited almost drunkenly. I didn't take a second glance at the sol-quid I had just puked up, since I was already so used to my reaction to the events that had taken place a little over two months ago. A scream rag out through the wood, and it only took me a split second to realize that it was my own deafening screech that pierced the noisy silence of the forest surrounding me. Suddenly, I felt the image I had been running from all along creep up on me. I curled up again, putting a fight into keeping it from my mind. Seconds after, I realized I was fighting a losing battle as the usual huge headache ensued with near skull-cracking force. Even with a valiant effort, she pounced upon me, making my ears ring, my heart stutter, my eyes squeeze shut, and my very soul shrink away.

Even though two months were long gone since Cosmo left this universe for one I thought she truly belonged in, if she was even in heaven. After all, her death was suicide, even if I assisted. She was a martyr… a hero… and a beautiful girl… She wore her heart on her sleeve at all times and never regretted falling in love with me. No matter how hard _I_ tried to convince myself to regret my decision of falling in love with a girl who was destined for death, even if I didn't know it until the end, I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to hate her, even as she turned me inside out without even being in the vicinity.

I attempted to clear my head of her image by splashing cold water from the stream on my face, unsuccessfully of course. A particularly strong wave from the headache burst forth and caused me to cringe and flinch away from the pain, though it couldn't be escaped. Giving in seemed like the most sensible thing to do at the time, so I grudgingly succumbed to violent sobs and vehement shudders, not bothering to wipe away the tears or stifle my cries.

"Cosmo…" Her name was the only thing I could manage as my mind slipped behind a black suede curtain of unconsciousness.

Shadow

My dark ears flicked as a new sound was flung at the silence, shattering it with a single deft blow. After a surprisingly brief episode, I shakily pushed myself up into a crouch, one hand pressed to the ground for support while I leaned on the balls of my feet in an alert manner. With a stealthy air about me that I had found myself missing after I actually allied with Sonic, I crept forward, using the shadows cast from the foliage and the plants themselves as cover, continuing my course from before I had tripped. Then, as I neared a break in the cover, I recognized the sound and named it. Someone was _crying_. What the cause was and who it was stoked curiosity within me, and I couldn't help but peer through the fronds of a particularly large fern. What my crimson-gold eyes beheld stunned me to numbness.

The clearing was the result of the stream I had heard previously. The area was incredibly beautiful; with flowering Devil's Flourishes springing up everywhere, the vibrant colors almost disguised the life-draining capabilities of the plant. Amidst a particularly stunning patch of the Devil's Flourishes, Tails lay sobbing, curled up into a semi-ball in the deep green grass.

I was faced with another decision, this one a bit tougher due to the sociology involved.

_Do I really want to get involved here? The kid's having a freakin' breakdown! I probably look like some freak that just escaped from Hell. Oh wait! That's almost exactly what happened!_

I breathed a sigh at my own sarcasm. I decided to wait until Tails calmed down a little. So, I remained still and watched silently as Tails was consumed by grief and then dragged out of it by a mere thread of sanity. The little kitsune was starting to seriously concern me. I leaned forward a tiny bit to make sure he was calming down when the brush concealing me rustled and pinpointed my location with the tell-tale sign of moving leaves. And still, I jerked back away from the plant, even though I knew good and well I had been exposed. My ears pricked up and listened for Tails's reaction. Sure enough, seconds after, Tails's shaky voice carried over the brush to me.

Tails

"Wh-who's there?" I directed my question to the mysterious moving fern.

_It's probably nothing._ I told myself. And yet, I started trying to suck the grief back down anyway. There was more movement among the brush and I stood to prepare for something to jump out at me.

"WHO'S THERE?" I repeated with more volume, voice hoarse and high-pitched. Just as I crouched down to grab up a stick or something I could use as a weapon, an all-too-familiar form stepped from the brush.

"Well, well, well… Miles Tails Prower, what have you gotten yourself into now?" It asked me, clucking its tongue at me. I bit my lip and clenched my fists instinctively, glaring through narrowed eyes at a bloody and beaten Shadow the hedgehog.

"Sh-Shadow? How are you even-?" I started to ask.

"Does it really matter? I've already "died" once, haven't I?" Shadow interrupted, waving his hand in a dismissing manner. And yet despite his uncaring attitude, he was forced to limp instead of trot closer. He stopped a few feet from me, brow lowered in thought.

"Shadow, are you-?" I started, slight concern bubbling up as he winced a touch.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll just take a little breather." He said, legs collapsing as he fell onto a nearby stump with a huff.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, breathing a sigh of relief in that I had actually gotten to finish a sentence.

"How many times are you going to ask me that?" Shadow sighed and shook his head. "I already told you; I'm just dandy." He snarled, probably angry that I was asking him similar questions. "So, I see you've got a problem on your hands." He said after a pause, glancing around the tiny meadow with critical eyes.

"Look who's talking! Seriously, if anyone has issues in our little group, it's you. I mean this is the most you've probably ever spoken to me in one sitting, besides when you were chasing me and-" I broke off, feeling my throat close off as a sob became lodged there after I held it down. Shadow noticed, his head jerking up and glaring at me.

"Yup, you've got a problem." He said as I plopped down on the ground beside the stump he sat on and covered my mouth with my hand, immobilized for the moment. "Let me guess… its Cosmo, isn't it?" Shadow asked, hand under his chin thoughtfully. It took a second to register, but when it did, I sprang into action.

"YOU have NO RIGHT to SPEAK or even THINK her NAME!" I screamed and leapt to my feet, fists clenched.

"Yeah, its definantly Cosmo." He continued quietly, observing my outburst with an amused expression on his face. I screamed at the mention of her name and launched my fist at his muzzle. He caught it effortlessly. I drove the other one at him, but he only caught it as well. "Now, you wanna calm down and talk to me like a civilized person?" He suggested coldly, eyes icy as they glared straight into mine.

_And just when I thought blue meant water or ice and red meant fire._ I wondered inwardly, thinking of how I was simply unable to do the same thing with my own sapphire eyes. _Then again, he's probably had a lot more practice being bitter and cold._ I retorted the only way I knew I wouldn't earn a nice punch in the abdomen for.

"Why are you acting so mature now, Shadow?" I snarled harshly, indicating his usual 'I-hate-you-don't-even-try-conversing-with-me' tone.

"I really don't know what you're talking about, considering I'm around 50 years old or so." He dismissed it.

"You sure don't act like it." I breathed, instantly regretting it. He acted like he didn't hear the remark, but his ears twitched and laid back slightly.

"So, about Cosmo." Shadow continued on the same line of conversation in spite of my outburst only moments ago. He released my fists and patted the stump beside him.

"Fine." I hissed and took a seat next to him.

"Well?" He pressed, eyes thawing a little in anticipation.

"Cosmo…" It hurt to say her name. I clawed at my sides like I was trying to hold my guts in. "Was the best thing that ever happened to me." I said, refusing to degrade her meaning to me in any way.

"And the worst, apparently." Shadow noted.

"She was beautiful, intelligent, and had good intentions." I ignored him blatantly.

"Mm-hm." He huffed and folded his arms over his bloodied chest.

"And… we were…" I couldn't bring myself to admit it, even though I knew I would probably never see Shadow again, considering the fact that Shadow was ever-reluctant to become attached to any one person, whether through friendship or romance.

"And you two were a young couple in fledgling love." Shadow completed for me. "I could tell the instant I saw you two together. You both had this look in your eyes, like you were about to explode." He grimaced and turned his head from me.

"Like we were about to explode?" I scoffed and shook my head.

"You did." Shadow insisted with a more serious look on his face. And still, I was in shock from his open attitude.

"Okay then Shadow, whatever." I flicked one tail dismissively.

"And now, you're heartbroken." He continued like a doctor giving a diagnosis to a terminally ill patient. "You're heart-sick and it's absolutely ripping you to shreds."

"You would know." I hissed angrily, not amused at all by his glum take on my situation.

"Yes actually, I would." He snarled back, surprising me. He bore his teeth and a guttural growl escaped his lips. "But you wouldn't know about that."

"Who was it? You still dwelling on Maria, or did you move on, only to have you're heart broken again by another girl?" I questioned with an acidic tone.

"Maria will always remain, but yes I did 'move on'." He replied, quills bristling slightly at my uncaring voice. "Molly…" I heard him breathe.

"Who's that?" I pressed on.

"Another girl that died for what she believed in." Shadow's eyes became icy again.

"Did you love her?" I became curious at his words.

"I believe it could've grown into something like that." He looked away again, speaking softly this time instead of confidently.

"Because I loved Cosmo… and I believe it could've been so much more." I said, losing my vehemence and giving to a more wounded tone.

"Yeah." Shadow was either losing interest, being overcome by blood loss, or just plain _lost._

"You know how they say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?" I questioned, a concentrated frown down-turning my lips.

"Sure do." He responded. I seemed to have caught his attention again with that.

"You believe it that?" I asked doubtingly. Shadow seemed to have trouble with that question, as a dark and puzzled look crossed his face. His brow pulled down in thought and his pupils dilated slightly.

"Well, I-… Do you smell something?" Shadow stopped suddenly and stood, nose in the air, nostrils flaring. I stood as well, looking around and sniffing the air suspiciously.

He's probably just trying to avoid answering the question.

That was when the world exploded.

Shadow

The flames spread so fast, I was unable to do anything more than yank Tails off of the stump as it caught on fire. As the world was engulfed in red, I could only back away and stare in shock as the flames encircled us.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Tails yelped, immediately taking the offensive before evaluating the situation. He spun his twin tails in a circle, lifting himself off the ground, similar to a helicopter.

"Wait, Tails! The smoke!" I yelled at him over the ever-approaching roar of the flames. Despite my warning, he flew up and attempted to pass through the literal smokescreen. Of course, he fell, choking and sputtering as he ran back to where I crouched defensively. While Tails bent over and washed his face with the stream water, I concentrated on building up Chaos energy. A few seconds later, I had enough for three trips. "Chaos Control!" I shouted and watched the very fabric of time and space pull apart and start to draw me in.

"Wait!" Tails screamed after me, but I ignored it. I directed myself towards the tear and leapt at it. However, I slammed into an invisible barrier.

"What the hell?" I snarled, wiping blood from my muzzle. I tried again to pierce the barrier and hit the tear, only to be thrown back out of my concentrated state and back into the meadow as the gate closed.

"You were going to leave me!" Tails wailed accusingly, clenching his fists.

"No, if I did that, Sonic would kill me." I sighed and returned to my observations, all the while backing into the stream. "Hey guess what! If you don't want to die, get in the stream." I said venomously. Tails obeyed, cringing behind me as the flames took on a more aggressive form of a tornado-ish thing. The fire devil swirled clockwise and upwards, creating an impenetrable block for Tails.

"Great." He remarked behind me. Suddenly, all sound was muted. I looked up and down, searching for the reason. Then in a flurry of flame, a dark figure rose from the ground a few feet from us, not unlike the way Mephiles rose from his inky-black puddle. A cloak, torn and burning, concealed the wearer from our view. However, the mysterious figure didn't seem too concerned with the fact that he was on fire, which thoroughly amused me. A smirk danced on my lips as I folded my arms across my chest again. Tails seemed troubled by my unconcerned stance, but he didn't know of the power I had charged in my body.

"Who are you?" I chanced asking.

"Who the heck do you think he is?" Tails hissed angrily and meekly into my ear.

"Well?" I demanded.

"A fellow immortal." It responded in an unholy and deep voice.

"Really now? 'Cause it obviously seems to me that we aren't the same type of immortals." I bore my teeth threateningly.

"What the hell are you here for?" Tails spoke up, coming out from behind me a little bit.

"I'm here… to offer you a choice." It said deviously.

"Oh great…" Tails breathed.

"You see, your paramours, mates…"

"They never were our mates!" Tails interrupted.

"Very well then, your girls are about to return to their place."

"Where is such place?" I huffed with a sarcastic and cocky air.

"Shadow, don't you know-?" The mystery figure cut Tails off.

"They committed the ultimate sin, so they will return to the fiery pits of Hell… with me…" It said in a bored tone. "You can't free them, can't save them. So, don't even try…" It continued degradingly.

_"Devon  
Won't go to heaven  
She's just another lost soul, about to be mine again  
Leave her  
we will receive her  
It is beyond your control  
will you ever meet again"_

"Both were tortured as a child, but then they found you." It waved its bony hand at us, suggesting our relationship to the dead. Tails took a step back, but I stood my ground.

"So?" Tails dared to ask.

"So then, they were hurt by others. They chose to give their lives up to end their pain…" It paused, running it's 'eyes' over us. "But little did they know, they would spark pain in others close to them as well." It chuckled darkly.

"Yeah, love's the shit, huh?" I remarked acidly.

_"Devon  
No longer living  
Who had been rendered alone  
As a little child,  
she was taken  
and then forsaken  
you will remember it all  
Let it blow your mind again"_

"I'm going to offer you a way to reach them again." It held its hand open and outstretched towards us. I could feel the energy pull as it drew up an image of Molly and Cosmo, both lying dead surrounded in flame.

"Cosmo!" Tails screamed and reached out to the orb. I grabbed his arm and yanked it back down.

"Take my word, they lie where I say. All you have to do to end our little conflict, to end your hate with me for taking the life of these beautiful women, is release your soul and serve me… for eternity…"

_"Devon lies beyond this portal  
take the word of one immortal  
Give your soul to me  
For eternity  
release your life  
to begin another time with her  
End your grief with me  
there's another way  
release your life  
take your place inside the fire with her"_

As if a trance came over me, I felt incredibly calm that instant, like I had no pressure on me, like it was no big deal if I gave my soul away. Then, all other thoughts were shut down and all I could think about was Molly and how happy she would be to see me again… and how happy I would be to hold her in my arms.

"That's it… just surrender everything and soon you'll be with your beloved Molly." Its voice was in my head. I swayed then, like my legs were full of jello.

_"Sever  
Now and forever  
you're just another lost soul about to be mine again  
see her, you'll never free her  
you must surrender it all  
And give life to me again"_

I shook my head desperately, knowing that what I was about to do would have killed Maria. I nearly fell to my knees as the calm feeling disappeared and I was left with a hollow emptiness inside of my chest, where my heart should have been.

"Hurry… they're running out of time."

_"Fire  
All you desire  
As she begins to turn cold and run out of time  
you will shiver  
till you deliver  
you will remember it all  
Let it blow your mind again"_

I weakly turned my head to the side to try and see a friendly face again as I shakily regained my ground. However, Tails's eyes were as wide as saucers, the reflection of the light of desire burning deep within them, and his hand was outstretched to the portal the figure held in his palm.

"No, Tails…" I mumbled despairingly.

His eyes flicked to me for a split second, showing me just how desperate he was to have Cosmo in his arms one more time.

_I can't let him do that. I won't let him… I can't… For Sonic and everybody else… I can't…_ My head spun and I reeled dangerously backwards.

_"Devon lies beyond this portal  
take the word of one immortal  
Give your soul to me  
For eternity  
release your life  
to begin another time with her  
End your grief with me  
there's another way  
release your life  
take your place inside the fire with her"_

The sound returned and the twister spun faster around us as Tails inched closer to the figure and his prize. I knew I had two options.

1) Shake Tails until he realized what was going on

Or 2) Jump in front of Tails and take his place in Hell

"Yes, Tails… Cosmo's calling for you…" The devil coaxed temptingly. And still the twister whirled faster and faster until I was sure it was out of control.

_"Give your soul to me  
For eternity  
release your life  
to begin another time with her  
End your grief with me  
there's another way  
release your life  
take your place inside the fire with her"_

"No Tails! Please don't!" I yelped and fell to my knees. I began crawling towards him, praying I would be able to break the spell.

"Cosmo's waiting."

"Tails! Don't listen! Please!" I continued, drawing more of Tails's attention.

"She's turning colder with each passing second."

"NO!" I shouted and leapt between the two just as Tails's fingers began to close. Tails instantly snapped out of it and jerked away, while I found myself with Satan's fingers closed around my chest.

"Shadow!" Tails cried out and ran towards us.

"Take someone who deserves a spot in Hell!" I snarled weakly, glaring venomously up into Satan's horribly burned and distorted face.

"Very well then, I will!" He sneered in delight. I felt the world start to close in around me and felt my very soul start to fade into darkness.

_"Devon  
No longer living  
Who had been rendered alone  
As a little child  
she was taken,  
and then forsaken  
you will remember it all  
Let it blow your mind again"_

"NO SHADOW!" Tails screamed and threw himself into Satan, distracting him and allowing my escape.

"Now you'll get it!" I yelled and drew up as much Chaos energy that I could at that moment. "CHAOS BLAST!!" I shouted and released the energy. Though I had my eyes closed and my mind shut off to the world, Satan's defeated screams rang out past the barriers and into my chest as the earth swallowed him once more and he trudged back into the fiery depths.

"Shadow!" I heard a faint yell in the back of my mind and reached for it. I took hold of it and smashed back into reality.

"Jeez." That was the only thing I could manage.

"I'm sorry, Shadow!" Tails wailed and ran over to throw his arms around me.

"It's… okay…" I muttered as he buried his face deep in my chest fur.

"I-I'm sorry…" He sobbed violently, tremors shaking his whole body.

"Hey." I said gently. He lifted his head up for a second to look at me.

"I believe in that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." I said defiantly, signature smirk crossing my face once more.

**Thanks for reading! Remember to Review! **

**By the way, I am one of those people... I was tempted to take my place inside the fire a few years ago... I suppose that's why I wrote this...**

**Tempted to do a follow-up chapter... -devious smirk-**


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